Liquid crystal display

ABSTRACT

A liquid crystal display with an integrated mounting portion for receiving a printed circuit board is presented. A liquid crystal panel has a first surface on which an image is displayed and a second surface opposite the first surface, a printed circuit board is connected to the liquid crystal panel and has a front surface and a rear surface, and an intermediate receiving container includes a frame and a printed circuit board mounting portion positioned on a sidewall of the frame. The printed circuit board is mounted on the printed circuit board mounting portion such that the front plane of the printed circuit board and the first plane of the liquid crystal panel face the same side.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/094,647 filed on Apr. 26, 2011, which claims priority from KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2010-0039069 filed on Apr. 27, 2010 in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (“LCD”)including an intermediate receiving container capable of mounting acircuit board.

2. Description of the Related Art

LCDs are one of the most widely used flat panel displays (“FPDs”). Aconventional LCD includes a liquid crystal panel assembly, which has twopanels having a plurality of electrodes formed thereon and a liquidcrystal layer interposed between the two panels, and adjusts the amountof light transmitted through the liquid crystal layer by applyingvoltages to the electrodes so that liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer can be rearranged.

Since the LCD is a passive emitting device, a backlight assembly forsupplying light that passes through a liquid crystal layer is required.A cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), an external electrodefluorescent lamp (EEFL), a light emitting diode (LED), or the like, maybe generally used as a light source for the backlight assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display (LCD) capable ofeasily fixing a circuit board without increasing a thickness of amodule.

The above and other aspects of the present invention will be describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided aliquid crystal display including a liquid crystal panel having a firstsurface on which an image is displayed and a second surface opposite thefirst surface, a printed circuit board connected to the liquid crystalpanel and having a front surface and a rear surface, and an intermediatereceiving container including a frame and a printed circuit boardmounting portion positioned on a sidewall of the frame, wherein theprinted circuit board is mounted on the printed circuit board mountingportion such that the front plane of the printed circuit board and thefirst plane of the liquid crystal panel face the same side.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda liquid crystal display including a liquid crystal panel having a firstsurface on which an image is displayed and a second surface opposite thefirst surface, a printed circuit board connected to the liquid crystalpanel and having a front surface and a rear surface, and an intermediatereceiving container including a frame and a printed circuit boardmounting portion formed on a sidewall of the frame, wherein the printedcircuit board is mounted on the printed circuit board mounting portionsuch that the front plane of the printed circuit board and the firstplane of the liquid crystal panel face the same side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an exemplaryembodiment of a liquid crystal display (LCD) according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2A illustrates an enlarged view of a portion “A” of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of an intermediate receiving container;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG.1;

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a connection relationship between a liquidcrystal panel and a circuit board;

FIG. 6A illustrates an enlarged view of a portion “B” of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6B illustrates a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7 illustrates a receiving portion of a circuit board;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG.1;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded perspective view of another exemplaryembodiment of a liquid crystal display (LCD) according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a circuit board mounting portion of the LCD shown inFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the circuit board mountingportion of the LCD shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 illustrates an enlarged view of a portion “C” of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 illustrates a state in which a circuit board is mounted on thecircuit board mounting portion of the LCD shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded perspective view of still anotherexemplary embodiment of a liquid crystal display (LCD) according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a circuit board mounting portion of the LCD shown inFIG. 13;

FIG. 16 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV′ ofFIG. 15;

FIG. 17 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III′ ofFIG. 14;

FIG. 18 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV′ of amodified embodiment of FIG. 15; and

FIG. 19 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III′ ofa modified embodiment of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods ofaccomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference tothe following detailed description of preferred embodiments and theaccompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as being limited tothe embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are providedso that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fullyconvey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art, and thepresent invention will only be defined by the appended claims. In thedrawings, the thicknesses of layers and regions are exaggerated forclarity.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on,” or “connected to” another element or layer, it can bedirectly on or connected to the other element or layer or interveningelements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element isreferred to as being “directly on” or “directly connected to” anotherelement or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present.Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

Spatially relative terms, such as “below,” “beneath,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures.

Embodiments described herein will be described referring to plan viewsand/or cross-sectional views by way of ideal schematic views of theinvention. Accordingly, the exemplary views may be modified depending onmanufacturing technologies and/or tolerances. Therefore, the embodimentsof the invention are not limited to those shown in the views, butinclude modifications in configuration formed on the basis ofmanufacturing processes. Therefore, regions exemplified in figures haveschematic properties and shapes of regions shown in figures exemplifyspecific shapes of regions of elements and not limit aspects of theinvention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, exemplaryembodiments of the present invention will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 1 through 19. A liquid crystal display according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention will first be describedin detail with reference to FIGS. 1 through 8. FIG. 1 illustrates anexploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) according to the present invention, FIG. 2A illustrates anenlarged view of an “A” portion of FIG. 1, FIG. 2B illustrates across-sectional view of FIG. 2A, FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of anintermediate receiving container, FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectionalview taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 1, FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate aconnection relationship between a liquid crystal panel and a circuitboard, FIG. 6A illustrates an enlarged view of a “B” portion of FIG. 1,FIG. 6B illustrates a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6A, FIG. 7illustrates a receiving portion of a circuit board, and FIG. 8illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 1.

The liquid crystal panel 37 includes the first substrate 32 including,for example, a gate line (not shown), a data line (not shown), and apixel electrode, the second substrate 31 including, for example, a blackmatrix, color filters, and a common electrode and disposed to face thefirst substrate 32, a polarizer plate (not shown) disposed under thefirst substrate 32, and a polarizer plate (not shown) disposed above thesecond substrate 31. The color filter or the common electrode may bedisposed on the first substrate 32 instead of being disposed on thesecond substrate 31, depending on the type of the liquid crystal panel37. When an electrical signal is transmitted to the liquid crystal panel37, an image is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 37. In thefollowing description, for brevity of explanation, it will be assumedthat a surface of the liquid crystal panel 37 on which an image isdisplayed is a first surface 37-1 and a surface of the liquid crystalpanel 37 that is opposite the first surface 37-1 is a second surface37-2.

The liquid crystal panel 37 includes the plate-shaped panels stackedtherein and resting on the intermediate receiving container 100.

A gate driver IC 33 is integrated onto the first substrate 32 andconnected to each gate line (not shown), and the flexible circuit board35 is connected to each data line on the first substrate 32. Inalternative embodiments, the gate driver IC 33 may be disposed on aflexible circuit board (not shown) connected to the first substrate 32or to a separate printed circuit board (not shown) connected to thefirst substrate 32 through the flexible circuit board.

Various driving elements which apply a gate-driving signal to the gatedriver IC 33, apply a data driving signal to the flexible printedcircuit board 35 or process the gate-driving signal and the data drivingsignal may be mounted on the printed circuit board 34. In the followingdescription, for brevity of explanation, it is assumed that a surface ofthe printed circuit board 34 that is on the same side of the printedcircuit board 34 as the first surface 37-1 is of the liquid crystalpanel 37 is a front surface 34-1, and a surface of the printed circuitboard 34 that is opposite the front surface 34-1 is a rear surface 34-2.

The backlight assembly 10 includes a light guide plate (LGP) 300, areflective sheet 400, optical sheets 200, a lower receiving container500, an intermediate receiving container 100, a light source 353, and aflexible printed circuit board 351 for driving a light source. The LGP300 may be made of a material with light-transmitting properties inorder to efficiently guide light. In one exemplary embodiment, the LGP300 may be made of acrylic resin such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)or a material with a fixed refractive index, such as polycarbonate (PC).

Light which is incident on a side of the LGP 300 made of the abovematerial has an angle of incidence that does not exceed a critical angleof the LGP 300. Thus, the light is delivered into the LGP 300. Whenlight is incident on a top surface or a bottom surface of the LGP 300,it has an angle that exceeds the critical angle of the LGP 300, and doesnot enter the LGP 300. Thus, the light incident upon a side of the LGP300 is uniformly transmitted within the LGP 300. In order to allowguided light to be directed upward, a diffusion pattern (not shown) maybe formed on any one of the top surface and the bottom surface of theLGP 300.

When the diffusion pattern is formed on, for example, the bottom surfaceof the LGP 300, guided light may be output upward at an angle smallerthan the critical angle.

At least one light source 353 is disposed at either side of the LGP 300to emit light.

In the present embodiment, in order to achieve the desired slimness ofan LCD, a point light source, such as an LED, may be used as the lightsource 353. However, the present invention does not exclude the use of aline light source, such as cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), anexternal electrode fluorescent lamp (EEFL), or the like. In thefollowing description, however, for convenience, assume that the lightsource 353 is a point light source.

The light source 353 may be disposed at one side on the light sourcedriving flexible printed circuit board 351. The flexible printed circuitboard 351 may be electrically connected to an inverter (not shown) forsupplying power to be supplied with power.

The reflective sheet 400 is disposed below the LGP 300 to upwardlyreflect light emitted downward with respect to the LGP 300.

The reflective sheet 400 may be made of a reflective material, such aspolyethylene terephthalate (PET), and may have one surface coated with adiffusion layer containing, for example, titanium dioxide.

The LGP 300, the light source 353 and the reflective sheet 400 arereceived in the lower receiving container 500.

One or more optical sheets 200 are disposed on the LGP 300 to diffuseand focus the light delivered from the LGP 300. The optical sheets 200may include a diffusive sheet, a prism sheet, and a protective sheet.The diffusive sheet may be positioned between the LGP 300 and the prismsheet to disperse the light incident from the LGP 300, therebypreventing the light from partially concentrating. The prism sheet maybe formed such that trigonal prisms are formed in a predeterminedarrangement on one surface of the prism sheet. The prism sheet may focusthe diffused light emitted from the diffusive sheet in a directionperpendicular to the liquid crystal panel 37. The protective sheet maybe disposed on the prism sheet to protect a surface of the prism sheetor to enhance luminance uniformity of the light passing therethrough.

The upper receiving container 20 includes a window at its center, thewindow exposing the liquid crystal panel 37. The upper receivingcontainer 20 and the lower receiving container 500 are coupled to eachother, and the intermediate receiving container 100 is interposedtherebetween.

The upper receiving container 20 and the lower receiving container 500may be made of a metal having some rigidity, such as stainless steel.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the intermediate receiving container 100according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes aframe 120 and a printed circuit board mounting portion 1000 positionedon an exterior surface of one of sidewalls 121 of the frame 120.

The frame 120 may be a frame including an opening. For example, theframe 120 may have a rectangular shape with four sidewalls. Here, theframe 120 may include a panel resting portion 130, which is a ledgeinwardly protruding from the sidewalls. The liquid crystal panel 37rests on the panel resting portion 130. Specifically, the liquid crystalpanel 37 rests on the top surface of the panel resting portion 130 andthe optical sheets 200 contact the bottom surface of the liquid crystalpanel 37, thereby preventing the optical sheets 200 from sliding ormoving in the lower receiving container 500.

The printed circuit board mounting portion 1000 is positioned on anexterior surface of one sidewall 120 of the frame 120. Here, the printedcircuit board mounting portion 1000 includes slide rails 1100 and 1200into which the printed circuit board 34 is slidably inserted. Referringto FIG. 3, the slide rails 1100 and 1200 may be formed on one sidewall121 of the frame 120 in pair to be spaced apart from each other by apredetermined distance P1. Accordingly, one side of the printed circuitboard 34 and the opposite side thereof are slidably inserted into theslide rails 1100 and 1200, respectively, to then be supported.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the slide rails 1100 and 1200 includeprotrusions 1110 and 1120 protruding from one sidewall 121 of the frame120 to an edge of the liquid crystal panel 37. In addition, the sliderails 1100 and 1200 include grooves 1120 and 1220 which are formed atone side of the respective protrusions 1110 and 1120 and into which theprinted circuit board 34 is slidably inserted. The grooves 1120 and 1220may extend from a sidewall 121 of the frame 120 to distal ends of theprotrusions 1110 and 1120. The first and the second ends of the printedcircuit board 34 may be slidably inserted into the grooves 1120 and1220. In other words, the printed circuit board 34 may be mounted on theprinted circuit board mounting portion 1000 in a sliding manner withoutthe necessity of being assembled with the intermediate receivingcontainer 100 using a separate fastening member, such as a screw. Alength L3 of each of the grooves 1120 and 1220 may be substantiallyequal to a width (W1′ of FIG. 5A) of the printed circuit board 34.Accordingly, the printed circuit board 34 may be inserted into thegrooves 1120 and 1220.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the printed circuit board 34 is slidablymounted on the printed circuit board mounting portion 1000, the printedcircuit board 34 may be finally disposed on one side of the outersurface of the liquid crystal panel 37. In addition, the printed circuitboard 34 may be mounted on the printed circuit board mounting portion1000 such that the front surface 34-1 of the printed circuit board 34and the first surface 37-1 of the liquid crystal panel 37 face the samedirection. surface 34-1 or The printed circuit board 34 and the liquidcrystal panel 37 may be disposed so as not to overlap each other.

In the present embodiment, the liquid crystal panel assembly 30 may beassembled in the following manner. First, the first and second ends ofthe printed circuit board 34 are slidably inserted into the grooves 1120and 1220 of the slide rails 1100 and 1200, respectively, to be disposedat an exterior surface of the sidewall 121 of the frame 120. After theprinted circuit board 34 is mounted on the printed circuit boardmounting portion 1000, the flexible printed circuit board 35 connectingthe printed circuit board 34 and the liquid crystal panel 37 is bent toplace the liquid crystal panel 37 on the panel resting portion 130. Thisway, the liquid crystal panel assembly 30 is received in theintermediate receiving container 100.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the first and second ends of theprinted circuit board 34 are mounted on the printed circuit boardmounting portion 1000, the liquid crystal panel 37, the flexible printedcircuit board 35 and the printed circuit board 34 generally form aU-shaped configuration.

The flexible printed circuit board 35 may have a first end 35-1 and asecond end 35-2. In an exemplary embodiment, the first end 35-1 may beconnected to the liquid crystal panel 37 and the second end 35-2 may beconnected to the printed circuit board 34. Meanwhile, a width W1 of oneside of the printed circuit board 34 may be substantially equal to thelength L1 of each of the grooves 1120 and 1220.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the slide rail 1100 includes a securingportion 1130 formed on a sliding plane 1122 of the groove 1120. Thesecuring portion 1130 may be shaped of a protrusion protruding from thesliding plane 1122 of the groove 1120. The securing portion 1130 isreceived in a receiving part 38, which will be described below.Accordingly, the printed circuit board 34 is fixed in position afterbeing inserted into the slide rail 1100.

Referring to FIG. 7, the receiving part 38 may be formed at one edge ofthe printed circuit board 34. The receiving part 38 may be a couplinghole penetrating through the edge of the printed circuit board 34 to becoupled to the securing portion 1130 printed circuit board 34.Alternatively, the securing portion 1130 may be a hook.

Referring to FIG. 8, the printed circuit board 34 slides along thesliding plane 1122 of the groove 1120 and continuously slides along theinclined plane of the securing portion 1130 until the securing portion1130 is securely inserted into the coupling hole 38.

The intermediate receiving container 100 may be made of a moldedmaterial, for example, a plastic material. Therefore, the intermediatereceiving container 100 is easily formed even if it has a complexstructure. In particular, the protrusions 1110 and 1120 of the sliderails 1100 and 1200 extending from the one sidewall 121 of the frame 120and the grooves 1120 and 1220 may be easily formed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the printedcircuit board mounting portion 1000 and the intermediate receivingcontainer 100 for mounting the printed circuit board 34 can be easilyformed using a moldable material. In addition, since a space for fixedlymounting the printed circuit board 34 is secured, a separate processingtime required for fastening the printed circuit board 34 using separatefastening members, for example, bolts and nuts, can be reduced in themanufacture of an LCD, thereby achieving miniaturization of the printedcircuit board 34 and improving the integration density of the printedcircuit board 34.

Next, a liquid crystal display according to another exemplary embodimentof the present invention will be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 9 through 13. FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded perspective view ofanother exemplary embodiment of a liquid crystal display (LCD) accordingto the present invention, FIG. 10 illustrates a circuit board mountingportion of the LCD shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 11 illustrates across-sectional view of the circuit board mounting portion of the LCDshown in FIG. 9, FIG. 12 illustrates an enlarged view of a “C” portionof FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 illustrates a state in which a circuit board ismounted on the circuit board mounting portion of the LCD shown in FIG.9. For brevity, in the embodiments that follow, components havingsubstantially the same function as the exemplary embodiment shown inFIGS. 1 through 8 are identified by the same reference numerals, anddetailed descriptions thereof will be omitted or briefly given.

Referring to FIG. 9, in the LCD 2 according to a second exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, an intermediate receiving container100 includes a frame 120 on which a liquid crystal panel 37 rests, and aprinted circuit board mounting portion 2000 positioned at an exteriorsurface of one of sidewalls 121 of the frame 120.

The printed circuit board mounting portion 2000 includes slide rails2100 and 2200 into which the printed circuit board 34 is slidablyinserted, a printed circuit board support portion 2300, and a stopper2400.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, slide rails 2100 and 2200 include uprightportions 2110 and 2210 protruding from a first surface of a printedcircuit board supporting portion 2300, and parallel portions 2120 and2220 extending from the upright portions 2110 and 2210 in a plane thatis parallel to the first surface of the printed circuit board supportingportion 2300. The upright portions 2110 and 2210, the parallel portions2120 and 2220, and the first surface of the printed circuit boardsupporting portion 2300 form an insertion groove 2230 into which part ofthe printed circuit board 34 is slidably inserted.

The printed circuit board supporting portion 2300 supports the printedcircuit board 34 inserted into the slide rails 2100 and 2200 to bemounted on the printed circuit board mounting portion 2000. The printedcircuit board supporting portion 2300 protrudes from a sidewall 121 ofthe frame 120. The printed circuit board supporting portion 2300 may beformed to have a substantially similar outline as the printed circuitboard 34. For example, if the printed circuit board 34 has a rectangularshape, the printed circuit board supporting portion 2300 may also have arectangular shape. The printed circuit board supporting portion 2300 maybe generally plate-shaped, for example. Meanwhile, the printed circuitboard supporting portion 2300 may include an opening 2500 to enhancedissipation of heat generated by the printed circuit board 34.

The stopper 2400 protrudes from the sidewall 121 of the frame 120 and isdisposed parallel to the printed circuit board supporting portion 2300.The stopper 2400 fixes the printed circuit board 34 inserted into theslide rails 2100 and 2200 on the printed circuit board mounting portion2000. The stopper 2400 maybe made of an elastic material.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the stopper 2400 may include a slantedsurface 2410 that inclines downward with distance from the sidewall 121of the frame 120, and a bottom portion 2420 that extends substantiallyperpendicularly to the sidewall 121 between an end of the slantedsurface and the sidewall 121 of the frame 120. A gap G1 between thestopper 2400 and the printed circuit board supporting portion 2300 maybe substantially equal to or slightly smaller than a thickness (‘t34’ ofFIG. 13) of the printed circuit board 34 to be mounted on the printedcircuit board mounting portion 2000.

Referring to FIG. 13, a first end 34-3 of the printed circuit board 34is first slidably inserted into the slide rails 2100 and 2200.Thereafter, a second end 34-4 of the printed circuit board 34 slidesalong the oblique side 2410 of the stopper 2400 and is interposedbetween the bottom portion 2420 of the stopper 2400 and the printedcircuit board supporting portion 2300 to be fixed by the stopper 2400.In such a manner, the printed circuit board 34 is mounted on the printedcircuit board mounting portion 2000. Here, a rear surface 34-2 of theprinted circuit board 34 is settled on one plane of the printed circuitboard supporting portion 2300. In addition, a front surface 34-1 of theprinted circuit board 34 is disposed to face the same side as a firstsurface 37-1 of the liquid crystal panel 37.

As described above, according to the current embodiment, the printedcircuit board mounting portion 2000 and the intermediate receivingcontainer 100 for mounting the printed circuit board 34 can be easilyformed using a molded material. In addition, since a space for fixedlymounting the printed circuit board 34 is separately provided, additionalprocessing time that would be required for fastening the printed circuitboard 34 using fastening members such as nuts and bolts can be reducedin the manufacture of an LCD. This way, miniaturization of the printedcircuit board 34 and higher integration density of the printed circuitboard 34 may be achieved.

Next, a liquid crystal display according to still another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 14 through 19. FIG. 14 illustrates an explodedperspective view of a third exemplary embodiment of a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) according to the present invention, FIG. 15 illustrates acircuit board mounting portion of the LCD shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 16illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV′ of FIG.15, FIG. 17 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III′of FIG. 14, FIG. 18 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along lineIV-IV′ of a modified embodiment of FIG. 15, and FIG. 19 illustrates across-sectional view taken along the line III-III′ of a modifiedembodiment of FIG. 14. For brevity, in the embodiments that follow,components having substantially the same function as the exemplaryembodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 8 are identified by the samereference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted orabbreviated.

Referring to FIG. 14, the intermediate receiving container 100 of theLCD 3 according to still another exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention includes a frame 120 and a printed circuit board mountingportion 3000 positioned at one sidewall 121 of the frame 120.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the printed circuit board mounting portion3000 includes a sidewall 121 that is partially cut out to form arecessed portion in the frame 120. The printed circuit board mountingportion 3000 includes a printed circuit board supporting portion 3100 onwhich the printed circuit board 34 is mounted, and mounting portionsidewalls 3200 and 3300 at the two ends of the recessed portion.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, the sidewalls 3200 and 3300 includegrooves 3210 and 3310 that extend across the width of the sidewall 121of the frame 120 and into which the printed circuit board 34 is slidablyinserted. The grooves 3210 and 3310 may be formed to penetrate throughthe one sidewall 121 of the frame 120. A length L3 of each of thegrooves 3210 and 3310 may be substantially equal to a width (W1′ of FIG.5B) of one side of the printed circuit board 34 to be inserted into thegrooves 3210 and 3310. First and second ends of the printed circuitboard 34 are slidably inserted into the grooves 3210 and 3310 and reston the printed circuit board supporting portion 3100.

In the present embodiment, when the printed circuit board 34 is mountedon the printed circuit board mounting portion 3000, the printed circuitboard 34 and the liquid crystal panel 37 may be substantially coplanarwith respect to each other. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, theflexible printed circuit board 35 may not be bent or bent onlyminimally, thereby reducing a required length of the flexible printedcircuit board 35.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 17, in the LCD 3 of the present embodiment,the printed circuit board 34 connected to the liquid crystal panel 37 ismounted on the printed circuit board mounting portion 3000 of theintermediate receiving container 110.

According to the present embodiment, the printed circuit board 34 may bedisposed at one side of the liquid crystal panel 37. Here, first andsecond ends of the printed circuit board 34 are slidably inserted intothe grooves 3210 and 3310 of the sidewalls 3200 and 3300, so that a rearsurface 34-2 of the printed circuit board 34 rests on the printedcircuit board supporting portion 3100. In addition, a front surface 34-1of the printed circuit board 34 may be disposed to face the samedirection as a first surface 37-1 of the liquid crystal panel 37.

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the printed circuit board mounting portion3000 may include a securing portion 3212 formed on a sliding plane 3211of the grooves 3210 and 3310 of the sidewalls 3200 and 3300. Thesecuring portion 3212 may be shaped of a protrusion protruding from thesliding plane 3211 of the grooves 3210 and 3310 of the sidewalls 3200and 3300. As described above, the securing portion 3212 may be receivedin a receiving part (e.g., 38 of FIG. 7) formed at one edge of theprinted circuit board 34. Accordingly, the printed circuit board 34 isslidably inserted into the grooves 3210 and 3310 of the sidewalls 3200and 3300 to then be tightly fixed. Therefore, when the printed circuitboard 34 is mounted on the printed circuit board mounting portion 3000,a fastening force between the printed circuit board 34 and the grooves3210 and 3310 may be increased.

Meanwhile, the securing portion 3212 may be a hook, and the receivingpart (e.g., 38 of FIG. 7) may be a coupling hole (e.g., 38 of FIG. 7)penetrating through one edge of the printed circuit board 34. The hookmay extend through the coupling hole, thereby establishing a connectionbetween the securing portion 3212 and the receiving part (38 of FIG. 7).

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the following claims. It istherefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made tothe appended claims rather than the foregoing description.

1. (canceled)
 2. A liquid crystal display comprising: a liquid crystal panel having a first surface; a printed circuit board having a rear surface; and a flexible circuit board connecting the first surface of the liquid crystal panel and the rear surface of the printed circuit board, wherein the first surface of the liquid crystal panel and the rear surface of the printed circuit board are oriented in different directions.
 3. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the liquid crystal panel and the rear surface of the printed circuit board are oriented in opposite directions.
 4. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board having a front surface opposite the rear surface, and wherein the first surface of the liquid crystal panel and the front surface of the printed circuit board face the same direction.
 5. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel having a second surface opposite the first surface, and wherein the second surface of the liquid crystal panel and the rear surface of the printed circuit board face the same direction.
 6. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein an image is displayed on the first surface of the liquid crystal panel.
 7. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the liquid crystal panel and the rear surface of the printed circuit board are not disposed on the same plane.
 8. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit board comprises a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the flexible circuit board is disposed on the first surface of the liquid crystal panel, and wherein the second end of the flexible circuit board is disposed on the rear surface of the printed circuit board.
 9. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit board is bent.
 10. The liquid crystal display of claim 8, wherein the liquid crystal panel, the flexible circuit board, and the printed circuit board generally form a U-shaped configuration.
 11. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board and the flexible circuit board overlap each other.
 12. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel and the printed circuit board are disposed so as not to overlap each other. 